


Adventures in Your Children Dating

by kikibridges13



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-03-19 23:12:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3627828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kikibridges13/pseuds/kikibridges13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry knew there would come that day he would have to accept his children (and godson) were growing up and beginning to date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Teddy

Harry knew that once his children hit their teenage years, there was a chance – no, a certainty, that they would start seeing the opposite sex as something more than "just girls," as Ron had once eloquently said to Hermione.

That didn't mean he was any more prepared for it.

Even though Teddy wasn't technically _his_ , the boy had been a part of his and Ginny's life since the beginning. He had taken the role of godfather that Remus Lupin bestowed upon him in stride. He made it his mission to be the godfather that his own never had gotten the chance to be. When the young Metamorphmagus had been younger, he would always have stay with the Potters on the weekend. As James, Albus, and Lily got older, the four of them would have sleepovers, occasionally with a few of their many cousins in the Weasley clan. But when they started Hogwarts, the sleepovers became less of an occurrence, in a way. When half of Gryffindor House was made up of Team Potter/Weasley/Lupin, everyday was a sleepover to the kids.

So when Bill Weasley of all people cornered him after Sunday lunch at the Burrow one day, Harry had no idea what was going on. That was until he pointed to Teddy and Victoire, who were sitting in the living room beside each other, bright red in the face and avoiding each other's gaze.

Harry sighed, thinking that there had been another row between the two. "Who cursed who this time?" he asked warily. "You know when we go to Cup next month, you two can't do that, right?"

"I wish that was what they were doing!" Bill said angrily. "Hell, I would have preferred to have caught them fighting!"

Harry's brows furrowed, and he looked back at the two teenagers. Teddy's hair was shifting colors, something that he did when he was extremely nervous. Victoire's face was still bright right, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. Bill was towering over the both of them and the scars on his face from so many years before weren't helping with the intimidating situation.

"What... _did_  you catch them doing?" Harry asked, not exactly sure he wanted to know.

"I found them upstairs, in Charlie's old room,  _snogging_ ," Bill seethed. "And I'm pretty sure that Victoire and I just had a conversation about her not  _being old enough for that yet._ "

"Well, how was I supposed to know!" Teddy shouted, but a look from both Bill and Harry shut him up.

The shout had been enough to capture the attention of Molly, Ginny, and Fleur, who were looking at the two men and two teenagers in confusion. "What's going on?" Molly asked. "Who cursed who this time?"

"There were upstairs snogging!" Bill snarled, sounding more like a teenager than 43 years old.

Molly looked at the group in her living room and tried to hide a smile. "Well, as the parents and godparents involved, I'll let you take care of it," she replied, and returned to the kitchen.

"Bill, you sound like you're being a  _bit_  overprotective," Ginny said.

"Of course I am, she's my daughter!" Bill shouted.

"And she's growing up! She was bound to discover not all boys have cooties eventually!"

"You are not helping, Ginny! What would you do if it were Lily?"

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, closed his eyes for a second and sighed. He should have known that this conversation was going to happen eventually, but never expected Teddy to fall for a Weasley.

Actually, now that he thought about it, he probably  _should_  have expected it.

"How long has this been going on?" Harry asked, and he felt Bill tense up beside him, preparing to burst like a balloon.

Victoire seemed to have taken a vow of silence, as Teddy spoke again. "Er...since our final week of the semester?" he answered sheepishly.

"THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THREE WEEKS AND YOU JUST NOW THINK ITS BEST TO INFORM US!"

As Bill exploded beside him, Harry wasn't exactly sure on how to feel about the situation yet. He was sure this was a conversation that Teddy should be having with Andromeda, but since he was currently in his care, it fell onto him. Honestly, he didn't see what the problem was – he had been 16 when he started to date Ginny. And Victoire was only a year younger than Ginny had been when she started dating. But he vaguely remembered the death glares the two had gotten not only from Ron but from Bill and Charlie and felt it was better not to bring that up at the moment.

"...is completely ridiculous, Victoire Weasley, you are 14 years old! You are still a child, and I will not have you dating, I don't care if it's the muggle Prince of Wales!"

"Bill!" Fleur's voice through the yelling was the only thing that stopped the eldest Weasley sibling. Harry looked back at Ginny, who was watching the entire situation with a comical expression.

"Well?" Bill thundered, looking at Harry expectantly. "Anything you would like to add, seeing as Teddy is  _your_  godson?"

Harry looked back at Teddy, who was looking at his godfather with a small look of fear. There had only been one time Harry had lost his temper toward him, and that was when Teddy, James, and Albus had left Lily in the treehouse behind the Potter's house and had taken the ladder so she couldn't climb down. Lily had tried to get down by climbing down the branches, fallen halfway and had broken her arm. Ginny had taken her St. Mungo's while Harry yelled himself hoarse at his sons and godson, grounded them from their Quidditch gear, gave them a long list of chores, and had talked to Andromeda about the incident, who hadn't been as nice with the punishment as Harry had been.

As Teddy gulped, Harry looked back at Bill. "Teddy and I will have a talk later. Until then he can sit in here and think about what's been said," he said simply.

"THAT'S IT?" Bill yelled, his face changing to an equivalent shade of red as his hair.

Fleur stepped up, and grabbed her husband by the hand, and pulled him toward the kitchen. "And that's exactly what  _you_  are going to do too," she said. "Our daughter has been embarrassed enough." She looked back at her daughter. "Go find your siblings, Victoire. We should be heading home, anyway."

"I'll go find the kids," Ginny murmured and followed after Victoire, who had dashed from the room before anything else was said. Teddy looked back at Harry, who shook his head and chuckled.

"I figured we'd eventually have this talk," he said. "But we'll have it when we get home, alright?"

Teddy nodded, and his hair finally went back to his normal turquoise spikes. Harry was positive the teenager didn't know if he would be having just another 'talk' with his godfather or if he'd be getting yelled at once more. Harry motioned for him to follow him to the kitchen, where Ginny and their children were saying goodbye to Mrs. Weasley. He hugged his mother-in-law and thanked her for another excellent lunch before the Potters (and Teddy) flooed back to Godric's Hollow.

James, Albus, and Lily all ran outside to the backyard as Ginny called for them to behave, while Harry and Teddy made their way to the study on the first floor of the house. It was covered with a silencing charm, which is where Harry and Ginny usually pulled one or two (if not all three) siblings in for lectures and talks when needed. As Teddy sat down in the chair at the desk, Harry leaned up against it, studying his godson. His hair was starting to cycle through colors again, and was avoiding Harry's gaze. Harry felt slightly guilty for playing up what was happening, but he had to instill some kind of fear in the teenager, or Bill Weasley certainly would.

Finally, Harry spoke. "I'm not angry, you know," he started.

Teddy looked up at him, wide-eyed. His hair settled back to turquoise. "You're not?"

Harry shook his head. "I couldn't exactly be mad at you when you're the same age I started seeing Ginny. I knew you would eventually start seeing girls in another light. Granted, I thought it was going to be sooner than 16 and I was  _fairly_  certain it wouldn't be a Weasley, but I was wrong." He shrugged. "I'm sure it's Bill who is getting a lecture with Victoire by Fleur, so I wouldn't worry too much."

His godson was looking at him like he'd grown another head. "I'm not in trouble?" he asked in awe.

Harry chuckled. "You're 16. Victoire is 14. Yes, she may be a couple years younger, but before either of you know it, and before Bill and Fleur or Andromeda or I realize it, you're going to be on your own. You have three years of school left, and she has four. That seems like a lifetime to you two, but to us, we still see all of you are children begging for another bedtime story or wanting to have a sleepover. Bill has always been protective. You should have seen him when Ginny and I got back together after the war." He shuddered slightly at the memory.

"So...you're okay with me dating Victoire?"

Harry nodded.

"Then how come you let Bill yell at us?" Teddy asked accusingly.

Harry smiled. "Consider it a reminder if you and Victoire try anything before you're ready to take your relationship any farther," he advised. "Or if you break her heart, which I hope you would never consider doing."

Teddy paled slightly, and shook his head. "I would never want to hurt her, Harry. Besides, I feel like she would hex me beyond repair."

"You two remind me a lot of Ron and Hermione," Harry said with a small laugh. "They were constantly bickering. They had since our first year. And look at where they are now. Happily married."

"And still bickering," Teddy added. "I heard them get into it at lunch."

"I'm sure you and Victoire are the same way at Hogwarts, am I right?" Teddy nodded and finally broke into a smile as he and Harry stood up. Harry clapped his godson on the back. "Just one thing, okay?"

"Sure, Harry."

"When we go to the World Cup next month, just watch out for Bill, yeah? I wouldn't want my favorite godson to be murdered in a crime of over-protectiveness, after all."

Teddy laughed. "I'm your  _only_  godson," he replied. "But deal."

Harry smiled, ruffled the teenager's hair, and sent him outside to play with the others.  _One down, three to go,_  he thought with a bittersweet smile.

 


	2. James

By the time James had gotten into his teenage years, Harry figured there was nothing his eldest son could do that would honestly shock him. He and Ginny had gotten so many owls from Neville (who was now Gryffindor Head of House) about the pranks, fights, and daring stunts he had pulled in his first five years at Hogwarts that Ginny was tempted to make a scrapbook of them. Of course (as Ginny liked to point out during several of these letters), that if Harry hadn't conveniently left the Marauder's Map in the study desk, that half of the feats James managed to pull wouldn't have happened.

A few days before the kids were to come home for Christmas holidays in James's sixth year, Harry received a letter that he was needed for a meeting with Neville and James at the request of the new Headmaster. Minerva McGonagall had retired a few years before (Harry had a feeling that dealing with so many Weasleys and Potters at one time had finished off the remainder of her nerves), and the job had been left to the Charms professor that had taken over after Filius Flitwick had retired. In fact, the only people still at the school now that had been there in Harry's time was Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid, and Professor Trelawney, who Harry made his mission to avoid each time he went to the castle.

Wondering what his oldest had done this time, Harry flooed straight to Neville's office from work that evening. Like always, Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, and was met with Neville's laughter.

"Still having problems with that, eh?" he asked with a grin as he greeted Harry with a handshake.

"Ginny thinks its hilarious," Harry said. He looked around, seeing his oldest looking up at him with an embarrassed look. "So which of his siblings or cousins did James hex this time?"

Neville rubbed his neck and put on his 'professor' look. "Well, actually, he wasn't caught hexing anybody this time," he said. "But I did find him in a...er...awkward situation."

Harry raised his brows slightly and looked back at James, who was now focused on his kneecaps. "Oh?"

"Perhaps he should be the one telling you this."

"I seriously doubt James would be willing to tell the truth if it is as awkward as you say."

"Well, I'll start and let James finish," Neville said, leaning against his desk. "Deal, James?"

"Yes, Professor Longbottom," came James's low reply.

"A couple of the students in James's year are muggleborn, see, and they seem to pick up on certain games or habits their muggle relatives or friends do. I was doing rounds in the dorms – we've had to start doing that now, especially with all the hexing and pranking that's been happening recently – and apparently one of the muggle games brought to Hogwarts this semester was something called, 'seven minutes in heaven'."

"I vaguely remember Hermione talking about that game once," Harry said. "She never got around to explaining it, thankfully. I think it's a good thing we never played it, especially with her and Ron the way they were in our sixth year."

Neville laughed. "Oh, I'm sure it would have caused Ron to blow a gasket if it had ever been played," he chortled. "But as I was making my rounds through the fifth year boys dorm, I was surprised to see both the boys and girls in the dorm, to say the least. Or rather, most of them, anyway."

"Most of them?" Harry looked back at James.

"Well, I thought it was suspicious that James was missing from the group, since I knew most of the Weasley/Potter clan had already turned in for the night and I had just checked on them," Neville said with an amused look. "So I had asked where James was, since he was usually found with his housemates at the end of the evening."

"I wouldn't have been found if Taylor hadn't kicked the mop bucket into my shin and Mason hadn't howled when she jabbed him in the ribs," James grumbled.

"Wait,  _how_  many of you were in one closet?" Harry asked.

"Three?" James answered in a small voice.

"Miss Taylor Murphy and Mr. Mason Andrews," Neville chimed in.

"Ah yes, you've had them over at the house during summer hols." Harry remembered the two students clearly. They were to James as Ron and Hermione had been to him during school. "Well, what happened next?"

"Do you  _really_  want to know?" James replied, his face bright red. It was one of the many things he had inherited from his mother.

"Probably not," Harry admitted. "But if it was bad enough for Headmaster Collins to request I meet with you and Neville, I think it's something we're going to have a long conversation about when you come home in a few days."

"Well, Headmaster Collins is, well, you could say  _old-fashioned_ ," Neville intervened. "You know, he's that traditional sort. So when he read my report of James, Mason, and Taylor found in broom cupboard in a rather... _compromising_  position, he grew worried."

Harry looked between James and Neville for a second, taking in his old friend's words. When they dawned on him, he looked slightly shocked. "Oh."

"Honestly, I was surprised at first, and unfortunately my hands were tied with the report." Neville looked at James with an apologetic look. "But I didn't see it was worth a detention over. Honestly, I didn't think it warranted a letter to you or Ginny, but Collins was about to go spare if I didn't send it."

"Do you think James and I could have a moment, Neville?" Harry asked. "Or, if you don't have anything else to discuss with him, I think I could do with a visit around the grounds."

Neville shook his head, but addressed James with a humorous look, "He's all yours, Harry. While you're here, though...is Christmas Eve dinner at your place still on?"

Harry nodded and the two shook hands again. "I'm sure Ginny will send a letter to remind everybody. Can you ask Hannah to bring that recipe for eggnog again?"

"Sure thing, mate." Neville nodded to James. "James, I'll see you tomorrow morning in class. Remember, you have a 10 inch essay due."

James nodded. "Yes, sir," he said and after Harry and Neville said their final goodbyes, his allowed his father to lead him down to the first floor, but instead of going out to the grounds, led him toward the kitchens.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I thought we were going to have this talk when I got home?"

"I think it's best we get it out of the way now, don't you think? Besides, it's been a while since I've visited the kitchens, and the house-elves make the best hot chocolate."

James gave his father a look that Harry took as an agreement. After greeting a few of the elves that remembered him from long ago and requesting politely if they could have a couple mugs of hot chocolate, the two sat down. After a few minutes, Harry spoke up.

"So, what did Neville mean by a compromising position?" he asked rather bluntly after a few sips of his drink.

James paled slightly and looked like a deer caught in headlights. "It was nothing," he said quickly. "Honestly, it had been a joke."

Harry gave his son a look that clearly said he didn't believe him, but then his expressions softened. "James, you know you can talk to me and your mother about anything. You know that, right?"

His son nodded, and his cheeks flushed with color again. "Honestly, it wasn't anything extreme, Dad. I had been picked to be in the cupboard with Taylor and then Mason, well he's 17 already and he and a few others were already on the borderline of tipsy and drunk, and he had shoved himself into the space with us. And then Bailey Hamilton had put a locking charm on the door."

Harry looked at him suspiciously. "You know how your mother and I feel about you drinking underage."

"I wasn't, I swear," James said quickly.

"So the three of your were locked into the cupboard in your dorm."

"Yeah."

"Let me guess, nobody had their wand on them?" Harry mused, trying to hide his smile.

"No, and well..." James's flush was getting redder with each word, "all of a sudden, somebody attacked me! And you know, I only thought it was appropriate to kiss whoever it was back."

Harry was desperately wishing he had waited to have this conversation with Ginny now. She was way better with these conversations. "I see," he finally said. "And when Neville unlocked the door, did you find out who had...er, 'attacked' you, as you worded it."

James nodded, and he ducked his head down.

"Taylor?" Harry ventured.

James shook his head, and refused to make eye contact with his father.

"Mason, then." Harry watched his son with an amused look. "Well?"

"Well what?" James said, stirring more marshmallows into his drink.

"How did it make you feel?" Harry could feel his own cheeks starting to burn. This was definitely more Ginny's area...

James shrugged. "I don't know yet," he mumbled. He finally looked up at his dad. "Are you angry?"

Harry looked at him confused. "About what?"

"Well...everything?"

"When I received the owl requesting I have a meeting with you and Neville, I thought I was going to be," he admitted. "Had you been called into a meeting for jinxing your siblings and cousins, or if you had been bribing Peeves to throw dungbombs during Trelawney's class again, yes I would have been angry. But for snogging in a cupboard with your best friends, no. Granted, I always assumed it was going to be you and Taylor, but...it doesn't really matter. I'm sure your mother will be wanting to have a conversation with you at some point."

James looked slightly frightened. "Do you think she's going to be angry at me?"

Harry chuckled. "We're not going to hate you because you're trying to figure out who you are, James," he said gently. "We'll love you no matter what."

"So you don't believe Headmaster Collins when he said I was going to ruin our family name?"

"Is that what he said?" Harry said mildly. James nodded. "Like Neville said, the man's old-fashioned. Rest assured, son, you can't ruin our family's name any more than Rita Skeeter attempted when I was your age."

James nodded, and Harry could tell that he was feeling better about their conversation. He had perked up and after they had both finished their hot chocolate and thanked the house-elves for their services, headed to the entrance hall. Harry hugged his eldest son and then ruffled his hair. "We'll talk more when you come in a few days, if you want," he said.

"You're not going to tell anybody except Mum right?" James asked.

"You have my word," Harry smiled. "Marauder's honor."

James grinned. It was their way of keeping promises after Harry had told him the story behind the precious map that was now safely tucked in his trunk. "Marauder's honor," he repeated. With another quick hug and a goodbye, James darted up the first level of stairs and after disappeared from sight.

As Harry made his way down the path toward Hogsmeade where he could apparate home, he thought about the conversation he had with his son. As long as his son was happy, he wasn't going to meddle with his personal affairs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured out of Harry's three children, James would most likely be the one who be a bit curious on his sexuality. I know a lot of people out there ship Albus and Scorpius, but Albus is probably going to be the tame one of the group in this story. But his story comes next chapter.


	3. Albus

"Dad?"

Harry looked up from the report he was working on for Kingsley. It was rare for Harry to bring his Auror duties home with him, but he occasionally had to bring reports home to complete when he got behind. Ginny always said it was because he would get distracted or procrastinate, and Harry would mumble something incoherent and disappear into the study after dinner.

"Something wrong, Al?" he asked.

Albus shook his head and played with the cuff of his shirt. Ever since James had moved out and gotten his own place with a group of his friends after Hogwarts, it was just Albus and Lily at home. Of course, Lily was always either at the Burrow with her grandmother and cousins or spending the night with one of her many friends from Hogwarts. Albus was usually gone during the evenings engaged in similar plans.

"How did you know Mum was the one?" he asked. "When did you realize you wanted to marry her?"

Harry lay the quill he'd been using down and looked at his son thoughtfully. "It's hard to say," he admitted. "You know about our hunt for the horcruxes?" Albus nodded. "I think I started to realize how much I missed her once we were on the hunt for them. I would spend hours watching her dot on the Marauder's Map, wishing I could be there with her. I knew that when the war was over and if we managed to survive, there was nobody else I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She was the last thought that ran through my mind when Voldemort tried to kill me." His son looked at him with wonderment – Harry had never told his children that much detail about the night he walked into the Forbidden Forest alone. He looked at Albus curiously. "But one day it just clicked that it was time to ask her to marry me. Why do you ask?"

Albus's cheeks flushed pink. "Well, Elise and I have been dating for three years..." he started slowly.

Elise Harrington was a muggleborn in Albus's year, and a Ravenclaw. The two had been dating since their fourth year, ever since Albus had accidentally broke her nose during one of their charms classes, when he had tried to Accio a textbook and it had smashed into Elise's face instead. He had shown up in the hospital wing after class with a badly conjured bouquet of flowers as an apology, and asked if he could make it up to her during the next Hogsmeade weekend. They had been together ever since.

"Do you love her?" Harry asked simply.

Albus nodded. "She said it to me first, remember?"

Harry remembered that day perfectly. It had been the year after they got together, when they got off the train after their fifth year. Albus had came bouncing off the train like he'd been announced as the next Headmaster of Hogwarts and was so giddy on the way home that James threatened to hex him and Lily had been pretending to vomit.

"And you want to marry her, don't you?"

Albus nodded, suddenly looking like he was 11 again. Then his expression changed to doubt. "What if she doesn't, though?"

"You two still love each other, don't you?"

"Yes, but well...we're done with school now. What if it was just some kind of school fling?" he looked worried. "What if I ask her and she laughs in my face, or she says she never wants to see me again?"

"Whoa, breathe, Al." Harry stood up, and made Albus sit at the desk. "You're just 17. What's the rush to get married?"

Albus shrugged. "Isn't that what you're supposed to do after you finish school?" he asked.

"Not necessarily," Harry replied with a smile. "Your mother and I didn't get married right away. In fact, we were engaged for two years before we decided to set a date. And we dated two years before I asked her. Your grandparents – on both sides, had gotten married early because there was a war going on. Back then, everybody was afraid that the next day was their last. Now, things are more relaxed. It's one of the reasons your mother and I waited. We took time for ourselves, we built our own careers, and we focused on getting to know each other again without the fear of a Dark Lord looming over our shoulders."

Albus looked at his father thoughtfully. "So do you think we should wait?" he asked.

"I can't make that decision for you," Harry said with a sympathetic smile. "But remember, you have your entire life ahead of you. You can be like James, and get a flat with your best mates and enjoy your life, and then settle down. Or if you really have thought this all the way through, start planning on your life with Elise. Find a career you love. Or say sod it and go travel around the world like Luna did. Have you thought about taking that position with the Puddlemere?"

A few weeks before Albus finished schooling at Hogwarts, he had received a letter from Puddlemere United, saying they needed a new correspondent. Albus had always been more interested in writing about Quidditch than playing it, and had shadowed his mother a handful of times. Since she was now Senior Correspondent, Ginny knew that Albus was worried about his mother being his boss. Harry knew the two had had long conversations since Albus finished school about the job, and had been going to work with his mother to learn the basics.

"I wouldn't mind writing like Mum," Albus admitted. "And I would be close to Elise. She's going into the Prophet too, but more into that editing side. Mental, that one."

Harry laughed. "At least you had somebody to look over your essays in school and make sure they didn't sound mental, remember that," he said.

Albus shrugged and muttered something about his father having a point. "I asked her if she wanted to get a flat together," he said. "Is that okay? I mean, I love you and Mum and Lily, but I really don't want to live at home forever."

"James moved out when he was 17, so I don't see why not," Harry said with a shrug. "Besides, you're of age. Teddy moved out of Andromeda's place around the same time with Victoire." Harry shuddered at the memory of Bill Weasley having another exploding match and Fleur stunning him to calm down. "Your mum and I knew the day would come, just like your brother. Have you told Ginny?"

Albus shook his head and stood up. "I wanted to talk to you first. You don't think that's childish, do you?"

Harry smiled and put his hand on Albus's shoulder. "You can come to me and your mother for advice any time you want, even when you reach my age." He smiled and gave his son a one armed hug. "I still go to Arthur when I need help or advice, you know."

"Really?" Albus looked at his father in surprised.

Harry nodded. "Just because you grow up doesn't mean you stop being our child, Al," he said. "Remember that, alright?"

Albus nodded and returned his dad's hug quickly. After all, 17 was too cool of an age to be getting hugs from your parents. "I'm going to talk to Mum," he announced.

Harry nodded. "Tell her I'll be down once I finish this report." Albus nodded and exited and shut the study door behind him. Harry sat down in the chair heavily and sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing the bridge of his nose. At 43, he still wasn't used to the fact that his children were growing up and wanting to get married.

And if Albus made him feel this old, then he was dreading the day Lily announced similar news.


	4. Lily

By the time that Lily had finally finished Hogwarts, the Potter family had grown beyond Harry, Ginny and their children. Albus had married and was expecting his first child, which made Harry and Ginny both feel extremely old despite being in their mid-40's. James was engaged (for the second time) and a wedding date was set for Christmas. Even Teddy and Victoire had their hands full with a toddler. While all three of Harry boys – Teddy had always been an honorary Potter, after all – were grown and out of the house, he still had his little girl at home.

Or so he thought.

For the first year after finishing school, Lily decided to stay at home as she started her training at St. Mungo's to become a medi-witch. Harry and Ginny didn't mind; after all, Ginny had stayed at the Burrow for a couple of years as she started her Quidditch career and Harry had done the same after the war before starting the Auror program.

"I found a flat in Muggle London," Lily announced happily after dinner one evening. "It's close to St. Mungo's, and a few of the others in my program live in the neighborhood, too."

Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. They figured this was bound to happen eventually. "You know you're welcome to stay here until you finish your training, Lils," Ginny said. "It's perfectly alright for you to live at home."

"Your mother and I lived at the Burrow for at least two years into our careers," Harry added.

"I know that, I just-" she paused and blushed slightly, "I really want to do this. We both do."

Both elder Potters raised their eyebrows. "'We'?" Harry repeated. "You and -"

"Scorpius, Dad. We've been together since the end of my fifth year."

Scorpius Malfoy had been a close friend to Albus and Rose through Hogwarts, after the young son of Draco Malfoy had been shockingly sorted into Gryffindor House. While he was nothing like his father (and Harry had suspected that being raised by Astoria Greengrass had something to do with that) and he had spent several holidays at the Potter residence, Harry sometimes felt the old rivalry with Draco rise when he saw the young boy. When Lily announced at the end of her fifth year (the year Albus and Scorpius finished school) that Scorpius had asked her out, Harry had been apprehensive about it. Not that he didn't trust his daughter, he didn't trust others with Lily. She was his only daughter, and found himself being more protective of her than the boys.

Ginny scolded his childish actions each time, and could currently feel his wife's gaze on him now, as though she was silently communicating to keep calm.

"You two want to move in together?" he asked.

"Al and Elise moved in right after finishing school, and so did Teddy and Victoire. Even James got a flat with his friends," Lily said. "I love you and Mum, but I love Scorpius too."

"Are you sure, Lily? I mean, are you ready to have that kind of responsibility?" Harry knew he was searching for some kind of excuse now. Lily had a point when it came to Teddy, James, and Albus.

"Responsibility? James has been engaged  _twice_! My pinky toe has more responsibility than he does!"

"Lily Luna, you know better than to talk about your brothers in such a manner," Ginny scolded.

"It's such a big step, Lils," Harry said, "Have you really thought about this?"

" _Yes_ , Dad, I have."

Harry didn't want to accept this. While he had felt a pang of sadness when each of the children had left for Hogwarts and then moved out, this was different. Lily had always been the baby of the family, always present. When she had decided to live at home while starting her training at St. Mungo's, Harry had been overjoyed. He knew that his children had their own lives to live and he respected that and their decisions (as long as none of them ended up in the Auror holding cell at the Ministry), and that he was being slightly hypocritical of Lily wanting to do the same thing. But Lily finally moving out would solidify the fact in Harry's mind that his children were grown up and would no longer need him or Ginny.

"Harry, she is 18 now," Ginny interjected, sensing that Harry wasn't about to let this go quietly. "When the boys moved out they were the same age."

"I know," Harry muttered. "I know."

"Then why is it so different for me!" Lily demanded. He arms were crossed and she was glaring at her father.

"It's not," Ginny assured her.

"It is," Harry said.

Both Lily and Ginny looked at him with a look that reminded Harry strongly of Molly Weasley. Harry knew he had to elaborate quick before his wife could start yelling. "You're the last, Lils. You've always been the baby of the family, and I know that you hate that," he added as he watched his daughter's face grow redder. "You've always been here. When Teddy, James, and Al moved on, you were always here, and it was a comfort to me. Probably to your mother too. You living here after school made us, made me, feel like we were still important."

He sighed and ran a hand through his greying, unruly black locks. "You finally moving out just makes me realize that you don't need us anymore," he finished lamely.

Lily looked at her father for a few seconds before flinging her arms around his neck, which took Harry off guard.

"You think because we've grown up that we don't need you or Mum anymore?" Lily said. "Dad, James still floos and asks Mum if it's okay to mix blacks and whites in the wash. We'll always need you and Mum, no matter how old we get."

Harry smiled and hugged his daughter tight. Ginny had left the room when Harry had started talking, sensing that father and daughter had needed a moment and was standing at the entrance of the kitchen, watching the two.

"So is it okay?" Lily asked timidly, pulling away from Harry. "Will you and Mum be okay?"

"Well, you are of age, so you really don't need our permission, do you?" Harry answered with a small smile. "But your mother and I will be okay."

"It may even be quiet for a change around here," Ginny joked.

Lily scoffed. "This house, quiet? Teddy has a toddler and Al and Elise have a baby on the way. It's like the Burrow, it'll never been quiet."

As Lily hugged her mother, Harry couldn't help but agree with her. And honestly, he wouldn't want it any other way.

 


End file.
